# 1826
Chapter 1826: Zhou Ping in the Sword Hut
Knock knock knock—
Lin Qiye stood before the Sword Hut, his knuckles rapping gently against its door.
"Please, enter."
A familiar voice sounded from within.
Lin Qiye's eyes brightened with a smile. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Within this modest Sword Hut, there was only a small bed made of cardboard, a wooden table, and a suitcase full of books.
In the center of the hut's open space, Zhou Ping sat cross-legged, gazing at Lin Qiye with a gentle smile.
"Congratulations, Master, on breaking through the human limit once again and ascending to the Supreme God realm."
Lin Qiye spoke reverently.
"No need for special congratulations... This realm doesn't seem all that difficult to reach." Zhou Ping smiled. "How was your trip to Olympus? Any gains?"
"Thanks to you, Master, the gains were considerable."
"Actually, that wasn't entirely my achievement..."
Zhou Ping's gaze turned toward a certain direction in the void. Several hundred li away in that direction, a half-dead figure lay in a sand pit, groaning as a group of white-clad figures carried him onto an airplane.
"After you left, he kept guard at my door. The moment I broke through that realm, he rushed in and begged me to intervene... He gave me quite a fright at the time."
Lin Qiye's jaw dropped slightly. "Master, you saw all of that just now?"
"Mm." Zhou Ping paused, then continued, "To be honest, I don't like that monk. He's too cold, too heartless—unlike any hero from the books... and unlike me too.
But there's no denying that he wants humanity to victory more than anyone else. It's just that his way of approaching victory is somewhat... unique."
Lin Qiye hesitated for a long moment before asking, "Master, if you had been the one facing that choice... what would you have done?"
"If it were me? I'd have simply grabbed my sword and charged straight up to Olympus. Who cares about chess games, conspiracies, or schemes... I'd slaughter every god on Olympus first, then bring our people of Great Xia back. Every single one." Zhou Ping answered matter-of-factly.
"What if the Cthulhu Faction gods intercepted you along the way?"
"They tried to stop me? I'd kill them. If they were too powerful for me to defeat... then I'd simply die."
"...?" Lin Qiye's mouth twitched. "That's it?"
"That's it."
"Even knowing there would be someone waiting to take advantage of the situation, and that this might lead to Great Xia's destruction, you'd still go?"
"...You're giving me too much credit." Zhou Ping said helplessly. "I'm just a simple fool who likes reading books and practicing swordsmanship. How could I possibly think that far ahead? When I see injustice, I draw my sword. Everything I do follows my heart."
Zhou Ping extended his hand, pointing to the location of his heart. There, a heart crystal-clear like glazed glass, pulsed slowly.
A Glazed Infant's Heart... That explains it. Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully.
"No wonder you watched me beat him without intervening." Lin Qiye smiled. "So that was your heart's desire too?"
Zhou Ping looked somewhat embarrassed.
"What that monk did did stir anger in my heart. I certainly wouldn't stop you from beating him... But if you had wanted to kill him, I would have stepped in."
As the words fell, Zhou Ping's expression gradually grew serious.
"I, at most, can be considered a swordsman of passable strength. Fighting and slaying gods is fine, but if you asked me to lead humanity? Within a few days, humanity would be finished... That's why you need the Fate Monk.
The books say that gold cannot be pure, nor can people be perfect; a foot may sometimes be too short, while an inch may sometimes be too long. Just as I only know how to fight, even you, Lin Qiye, with all your prowess, cannot be skilled in everything. If you want to lead humanity to victory in this war, you must have people to assist you.
Just like ancient emperors needed generals and ministers. Without them, you're merely a solitary ruler, struggling at every step. Though the Fate Monk's methods are ruthless, his loyalty and abilities are unquestionable. You may not agree with all his suggestions, but he must exist."
Lin Qiye nodded seriously. "Yes, I understand."
After delivering such a long lecture, Zhou Ping came back to his senses and helplessly self-deprecatingly said, "Sorry... these past few years, I've been stuck in this Sword Hut reading. Read too much, and somehow I can't open my mouth without lecturing... You're smarter than me; you don't need me to point out these things."
"Teachers instruct students. What's wrong with that?" Lin Qiye smiled. "However, you've been cooped up in this Sword Hut for so many years. Now that you've reached the Supreme God realm, shouldn't you go out and move around a bit?
I'll make a call to... to Qingzhu. Let's have dinner together. There's a new Sichuan restaurant that opened near the headquarters. The food is pretty good... Oh right, An Qingyu is also here with me. If you want to lecture him, I can pass on the message for you!"
Zhou Ping wore a gentle smile, listening quietly to Lin Qiye's chatter. After a long while, he shook his head and spoke.
"I appreciate your kindness, truly... But I can no longer leave this Sword Hut."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye was stunned.
"Why?"
Zhou Ping lowered his head slightly, looking down at his own body. His eyes carried a complex expression...
Lin Qiye seemed to sense something. His brow furrowed tightly. After murmuring an apology, he gently rolled up Zhou Ping's sleeve, and his eyes contracted sharply at the sight of the arm covered in cracks!
"This is..."
"The divine power and laws of the Supreme God realm are stronger than I imagined... My body, merely by bearing them, has already reached its breaking point." Zhou Ping sighed.
Lin Qiye stood frozen for quite some time. Then he rolled up the other sleeve, and then the trouser leg... It was only then that he realized: from the moment Lin Qiye entered until now, Zhou Ping had been sitting cross-legged the entire time, not moving any part of his body except his hands.
Zhou Ping's skin showed an eerie, dull darkness, like a Buddha statue filled with lead—heavy beyond measure. Even with Lin Qiye's strength, it was nearly impossible to lift him.
"The flesh body... has reached its limit?"
Lin Qiye remembered. Zhou Ping's physical body had been forged by Ye Fan using the Dragon-Elephant Sword. Though the Dragon-Elephant Sword was powerful, capable of bearing Chief God-level laws and divine power, it was far from sufficient for Zhou Ping, who had now ascended to the Supreme God realm.
The current Zhou Ping was like a plastic basin with a几十kilogram boulder forcibly stuffed inside—fragile beyond measure. As long as he so much as moved slightly, he would shatter into pieces!
Lin Qiye understood this, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He suddenly looked up at Zhou Ping, opening his mouth as if to say something—
"Absolutely not!!"
Before Lin Qiye could speak, Zhou Ping said resolutely.
Lin Qiye was startled. "Master... you know what I'm going to say?"
"You want to give me the Hongmeng Lingtai. No."
"Why??"